There is provided a catalyst, comprising at least one hydrogenation metal, such as Ni and Mo, supported on a delaminated layered silicate, such as kenyaite, which has been swollen and calcined. There is also provided a method for making this catalyst. There is further provided a process for using this catalyst to demetalize a petroleum feedstock, such as a resid.
In general, calcined layered materials, i.e. clays, silicates, and metal oxides, exhibit low surface areas (&lt;50 m.sup.2 /g) and are not attractive as catalysts supports. The activity and surface areas of these materials can be enhanced by swelling and pillaring. In the case of the silicates, i.e. kenyaite and magadiite, the activity enhancement would be a function of the pillaring material used. The improvement in the surface area and porosity would be a function of the extent of swelling and/or pillaring. However, the pore openings (or layered spacings) are limited by the stability of the pillaring agents. In addition, the pillars could cause additional diffusion resistance, depending on the homogeneity of the pillaring process. Some reactions, such as demetallation of heavy hydrocarbons, require very large pore openings (&gt;50 .ANG.) to reduce diffusion resistance of the bulky metal-containing molecules. Even larger cylindrical type pores (50-200 .ANG.) can be rapidly deactivated by the building up of deposited metals from the heavy hydrocarbons. Catalysts supports with unique pore shapes (i.e. cone-shaped morphology) that can reduce the pore-mouth plugging are highly desirable. Alumina supports with such desirable pore morphology have been discussed by H. Toulboat et al in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,498,972; 4,499,203; 4,501,042; and 4,511,458, as well as "New HDM Catalysts: Design and Performance for Demetallation and Conversion", ACS Div. Petroleum Chemistry, Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 85-95, Feb. 1985. These alumina materials are formed by a rapid calcination of an organic treated amorphous alumina.